Everything you need to know from day one of the third Major Championship of the 2024 DP World Tour season.
We had a tie at the top, Ludvig Åberg was under control, eagles sent Matthieu Pavon soaring and everyone was holing from the sand on day one of the U.S. Open.
Here is everything you need to know from Thursday at Pinehurst Resort and Country Club.
McIlroy and Cantlay share lead
Rory McIlroy carded a brilliant, bogey-free 65 to join Patrick Cantlay at the top of the leaderboard after day one. The Northern Irishman won his first Major Championship at this event in 2011 and has since added three more but the last of his victories in one of golf's big four came almost a decade ago. He spoke on his arrival in North Carolina of being "as close as I've ever been" to ending that drought and he certainly lived up to that confidence over the notoriously difficult No. 2 Course as he moved to five under. American Cantlay had set the target earlier in the day with six birdies and a bogey to sit one shot ahead of Swede Åberg and two clear of countryman Bryson DeChambeau and Frenchman Pavon. “Certainly the Major Championships that I’ve won or the ones that I’ve played well at, I’ve always seemed to get off to a good start, and it’s nice to get off to another one," said McIlroy. “My short game was good early on. I chipped in at five and had a really good up-and-down on six and on eight. But apart from that, I think I hit every other green. It was a really controlled round of golf.”
Here comes Rory. Two under after five holes 📈#USOpen pic.twitter.com/IftmeSAjDP
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) June 13, 2024
Åberg keeps it under control
Åberg was pleased with the strategical discipline he showed as he continued to impress on the Major stage on the opening day of his U.S. Open debut. The Swede, who was just starting his professional career a year ago, mixed six birdies with two bogeys in a four-under-par 66 to sit one back. “I think staying very disciplined is important," he said. "It's really hard. Especially when you have a wedge in your hand or something like that where normally you would go at the pin, but you can't really do that here. Absolutely. It's the U.S. Open, it's supposed to be hard. That's what we're doing here."
Ludvig Åberg opens with a 66 on his @usopengolf debut ✍️
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) June 13, 2024
He currently sits in second place. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/nsfPM7kt3s
Pavon feeling right at home at Pinehurst
Pavon credited his lowest round at a Major Championship in the first round to feeling at home around Pinehurst No. 2 due to similarities with European venues on the DP World Tour. The Frenchman, who combines playing on the PGA TOUR with the DP World Tour this season, sits in a tie for fourth on the leaderboard after a three-under-par 67. "The golf course plays tough," he said. "You really have to manage your way around. This is like a linksy, let's say, type of golf course. It looked a little bit familiar, and this is probably why I enjoyed so much being out there today.”
.@matthieupavon's lowest round in a Major 🙌#USOpen pic.twitter.com/N70aeb8PQ0
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) June 13, 2024
Double eagle
Nope, not an albatross, actually two eagles. Pavon had quite the day.
Eagle on the fifth! @matthieupavon shares the lead. #USOpen pic.twitter.com/R6vHduusf3
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) June 13, 2024
A second eagle of the day for @matthieupavon!
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) June 13, 2024
He opens up a two-shot lead at Pinehurst.#USOpen pic.twitter.com/K9G3bu4Kb9
Just the 82 feet.....
.......from off the green. Take a bow Adam Scott.
Why chip when you can just putt? 😅
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 13, 2024
Adam Scott gets it back to even par. pic.twitter.com/fU2J0REYJv
Sand? What sand?
We had a full highlight reel of holed bunker shots on day one.
No putter required!@collin_morikawa flashes some sand skills on 17. pic.twitter.com/4XwFYI8JGI
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 13, 2024
In the greenside bunker? Not a problem for @patrick_cantlay.
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 13, 2024
He joins a large group at -1. pic.twitter.com/o3gQycfZ0C
"Yeah, I'll just make it from here" - @NickDunlap62 (probably) pic.twitter.com/oOAePu1cSj
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 13, 2024
🎶 Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream (bung, bung, bung, bung) 🎶
— U.S. Open (@usopengolf) June 13, 2024
Matsuyama with his third birdie of the afternoon. pic.twitter.com/BC4oZrp3El